


1987

by B0yWh0L1kesFanFics



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, San junipero - Fandom
Genre: Character Death (Kinda), I don’t know how to make tags lol, M/M, Rating: PG13, Triggers Car Crash and death, cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-07-27 12:19:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16218914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B0yWh0L1kesFanFics/pseuds/B0yWh0L1kesFanFics
Summary: The town of San Junipero, 1987, and it’s new resident Steve Rogers.  It’s his first night here, and he finds himself interested in a young man named Tony.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at fan fiction. I saw an episode of Black Mirror called San Junipero. I could only think about SteveTony the entire time, so I had to write their version. I am not claiming this is my own original idea, I give all credit to the writers of the show, and this is just for fun. Also this my first time using this websites format. Also any notes about edit are appreciated, I’m not really going I’d at writing.

Coastal California. Silhouetted mountains, moonlit sea. Lights twinkling near the shoreline they are the lights of the town of San Junipero. Nightclubs and bars. Cars drifting up and down the main street. The vehicles date from 1987. There is a billboard advertising the movie Lost Boys. This is San Junipero’s main drag. Along the sidewalk walks a young man Steve, walking very insecurely even though he is very attractive, an Adonis some might say. A slightly awkward man in his early 20’s dressed as to not stand out. Jeans, sweatshirt, and glasses with black rims. He’s looking around, a little like a tourist, taking in the sights. There’s a tv in a store window, showing a news report. The sound is inaudible, but the anchor introduces a clip of Ronald Reagan giving a speech about the Berlin Wall. Steve looks at this for a moment until his attention is snatched away by a voice, a young woman’s voice.  
“Tony, c’mon…”  
Steve looks around, there is a couple striding a long the sidewalk across the street, at least they look like a couple. The young woman is conventionally dressed, a pink skirt, a boyfriend baseball jacket, basically a typical 80’s pop star. The guy looks individual, almost artsy, slicked hair. Intriguingly attractive.  
“Tony__”  
“I’m still walking Carol.”  
His name is Tony, and her name is carol. She starts talking, “we only got a couple of hours, you know, so let’s use it...”  
“I’m using it!”  
They walk through the door of a larger bar/ music venue called Shield. Steve looks up at the sign for the bar. Then at the door. Gingerly, he pushes it open.  
This place is a Cavern. There’s music playing on a sound system somewhere, C’est La Vie by Robbie Nevil. Steve looks around, no sign of Carol and Tony, it’s bustling in here. Everyone dressed in the fashions of the day; a real mix of archetypes. Everything from preppy, the prototype goths, and even some nerds. It’s like the cast of every John Hughes movie blended together. Steve is a bit overwhelmed, he walks to a corner containing several video arcade machines. There’s Rolling Thunder, Top Speed, Double Dragon. Steve is drawn to Bubble Bobble, a platform game in which players control cartoon dragons that squirt bubbles. He reaches into his pocket and seems almost surprised to find some quarters in there. He drops one in the slot and hits the player 1 button. The game screen has catchy 8-bit music piping up and a black starlit backdrop. The cartoon dragons and a whirlwind of bubbles and the following poorly-translated message:  
Now, It’s Is Beginning Of A  
FANTASTIC STORY! Let’s Make A  
Journey to The Cave of Monsters!  
Good Luck!  
The game begins, Steve seems to know what he’s doing.  
Shortly afterwards, a young gal named Natasha spots Steve on the Bubble Bobble machine. She’s faintly preppy, a bit like a young Molly Ringwald. She’s holding a drink with a straw which she seems ill-at-ease with, she’s nodding her head in time to the music, badly.  
Moments later she’s standing beside him, watching him progress over his shoulder. It takes her a to pluck up the courage to speak, “you’re good at this.”  
Steve doesn’t look up, “Thanks, I’ve played it before.” Natasha is thinking of something to say, “It’s got different endings depending on if you’re in one or two player.” He’s too focused on the game, “uh-huh?”  
“Kind of the first game to do that.” She continues. Steve just lost his last life “Dammit!” Natasha tries to interest him in the Top Speed cabinet.  
Holding a quarter in her hand, “Oh. Do you want to…?” Steve looks at the game. The racing game depicts a red car thundering along a highway. The vehicle spins out of control in a shower dust. Steve stares at that for a moment, it disturbs him. Then he answers, “Uh no… thank you… sorry it’s not you. I’m sort of…” he gestures around “Just want to get my Barings.” Natasha responds, “Uh Okay. See you around.” She smiles. Steve wonders off, Natasha watches him leave, the she drops a quarter in Bubble Bobble.  
Steve now has a drink, a coke in a glass, and is wandering deeper into the bar, looking around. Heart and Soul by T’Pau is playing. He sits down at a table to people-watch. Sipping his coke, he checks out the comings-and-goings, young couples, preening jocks and cool kids.  
Suddenly Tony walks past, he spots something in the distance, rolls his eyes a little, and abruptly sits down beside Steve. Steve looks at him, a little surprised. “Go along with whatever I say” Tony says quietly to Steve. “Sorry?” “Whatever I say, go along with it” instructs Tony.  
Just then, Carol appears nearby. She opens her mouth to speak, but Tony gets the first comment “okay, Carol? You’re just pestering now. Do I have to red light you?” Carol checks her watch “Two hours thirty-five, there’s not much time left.”  
“Carol…” Tony begins. “Last week, we had the most amazing…” Carol says, interrupting Tony. Cutting her off, Tony tells her “Last week was last week” indicating Steve “I need to talk to my friend here, okay? Haven’t seen him in a while.” Tony puts a supportive arm around Steve. Steve is surprised but puts on a smile for Carol. Carol goes to speak but Tony interrupts “Carol! He’s sick. Like six months to like sick.” “Five actually” Steve playing along. Tony looks at Steve, amused and impressed, but then immediately hurry to hide this, he looks back at Carol, “I need to catch up with him. Private time.” Carol looks, considers protesting, then thinks better of it, “okay, okay” she turns to Steve “Hey, I’m Sorry.” Steve replies, “That’s okay.” She looks at Tony, “I’ll see you around.” “Sure.” Tony replies. The guys watch her leave.  
“Sorry for killing you. The whole six months to live thing. Sorry… five. Five was a nice touch.” Tony holds his hand out, “Tony.” Steve completing the handshake, “Steve.”  
“Steed?” Tony asks because the music is loud in the bar.  
“Steve” Steve corrects him, and tony replying with the Oh face.  
Tony thumbs in the direction of Carol, “She’s not a bad girl, I feel kind of bad, met her at the Quagmire, so…” “What’s a Quagmire?” Steve asks, cutting Tony off. Tony looks at him, he decides Steve is a little innocent. “If you don’t already know what the Quagmire is, you probably don’t want to know.” Tony looks at Steve’s empty glass. “You want another one?” Tony asks. Steve replies hesitantly, “Uh, I’m not sure—”  
“Yeah you do, come on.” Tony stands up, beckons Steve to follow. “Do I have to tug your leash?” Steve just smiles at the question, and Tony leads the way.  
A few moments later, the guys are at the bar, on bar stools. Tony leans forward to get attention of the barman, who has long blonde hair and a beard. Walk Like an Egyptian is playing. “Hey Thor!?” Tony trying to get the attention of the barman. Mock-offended, the barman points to himself, “I’m Thor?” “You are. Jack and Coke, times two” Tony demands. “Oh no. Mine was just a coke” Steve chimes in. Tony tells the barman, “Times two.” completely ignoring Steve. “Thor” starts fixing the drinks. Tony turns to Steve and looks at him slightly strangely.  
“What are you doing?” asks Steve.  
“I’m ‘regarding’ you”  
“I… I… feel like I’m being… analyzed.”  
“Shh,” Tony’s just reached a conclusion, “why the glasses?” Self-consciously, Steve touches his glasses. “I mean I like them, they totally work on you, but do you need them? I mean do you…” “Yeah the lenses don’t do anything.” Steve answers right way. “Knew it!” Tony slightly yells. “I wore glasses back in school, but I guess now they’re kind of a comfort thing.” “Old times’ sake,” Tony slightly pauses, “I’d figure they were kind of a fashion statement-” “Really?” Steve says shockingly. “-but then the rest of your outfit is… not”  
Steve looks down at his clothes, a tad self-conscious. “Don’t take that wrong. It’s refreshing, I mean look around” Tony gestures to the crowd, “people try so hard to look how they think they should look” the clientele does look like they’re trying too hard, “looks that they probably saw in some movie.”  
Tony lightly touches Steve’s glasses, “But I like these. They’re authentically you”, Tony says in a soft voice. Steve is shy, but he responds, “to be honest I think I wear the for something to hide behind.” “Something transparent to hide behind? Okay”, Tony says in a sarcastic tone. Then “Thor” puts the drinks on the bar. “Thanks”, Tony then turns to Steve, “Cheers!” Steve clinks glasses and takes a sip. The taste of the Jack Daniel’s makes him cough a little. “That’s—”, Steve says coughing. “Never tasted it before?”, Tony ass incredulously. Steve doesn’t answer at first. Sips more, a bit embarrassed, “No I just- haven’t had it in a while. It’s good.” Tony is ‘regarding’ him again. Tony asks, “Do you live here?”  
“No but…”  
“A tourist?”  
Steve waves his head as though to say ‘kind of yes, kind of no’ uncertain how to answer. “We’ll go with tourist. So, you’re new here?” “It’s my first night”, Steve answers. “First night! Well okay!” Tony says cheerfully. He clinks his glass against Steve’s. The music changes. The opening of Fake by Alexander O’Neal begins. Tony laughs and claps. “Oh my god! Ha!”, Tony laughing, “we HAVE to dance to this.” He takes a huge gulp of his drink. “With each other?”, Steve hesitantly asks. “Uh huh”, Tony looks at Steve in a ‘of course silly’ type of way.  
Steve glances at the dance floor. People uninhabited, laughing, enjoying themselves. Then he looks at Tony, “Dance Floors are not ‘me’”. “Ah let’s not limit ourselves”, Tony says, he grabs Steve’s hand and starts to lead him toward the dance floor. Steve pulls back hesitant, “I can’t”  
“My ass you can’t” Tony says “C’mon”.  
“I’ll look dumb and…”  
“Just follow my lead” and leads Steve Toward the dance floor.  
The chorus of the track is in full swing. Tony dances- care free. Steve is quite awkward. Almost just standing, watching. He looks around, trying to vaguely move his shoulders in time, nut it’s painful to watch. Tony leans in, “Copy me!”, Tony says in a raised voice over the music. He starts to perform a dance move, pretty much lifted from Michael Jackson—nothing to elaborate—indicting Steve should copy him. Steve starts to follow suit. He’s getting better. Tony laughs and nods, “You got it.”  
Steve starts to smile. Hesitancy giving way to enjoyment. Tony shows him another move—he copies it, and another. It’s almost like Simon says. Then Tony ups his game, performs a more flamboyant, somewhat proactive, writhing move. Other people on the dance floor start to notice. They’re enjoying the scene, not in a malicious or mocking way, but laughing appreciatively.  
Steve can’t match that. He glances around, self-conscious, Tony is oblivious. For a moment, time stands still on Steve, as he watches Tony in the moment, enjoying the attention of the other dancers. Steve, a little sadly, backs away, then leaves. Tony doesn’t notice at first. Then he looks around just in time to see Steve leaving.  
Steve opens a fire door and exists the building—to discover it’s raining. He stays beneath the awning, Tony emerges. “Hey. Why’d you run away?”  
“Sorry—I said I’m not much of a dancer”, Steve replies. “No shit, like a frightened horse on a frozen lake back there”. Steve goes to walk off. “I’m kidding”, Tony pleads. Steve turns to look at him, an eyebrow raised. “Half kidding”, Tony continues “Sorry I pushed you into it. Saturday night’s once a week, it’s like no time, I get impatient.”  
Steve sits down on a low wall, with a sigh, “It’s not that; everyone was looking”. “Looking...?” Steve, indicating the two of them, “You know? Two guys dancing”. Shock appears on Tony, “Okay. One, folks are way less uptight than they used to be, and two, this is a party town, no-one’s judging”. Tony looks down at himself, at his own body. Does a slightly ridiculous ‘sexy’ move, “Face it, if they were starring, it’s because I. Am. Bodacious.”. That makes Steve laugh a little, “You’re Stupid”. “Thank you”, Tony bows slightly.  
Steve looks up at the night sky, “I’ve never been on a dance floor before.”  
“Never? As in whole time you’ve been alive, never?”  
Steve replies, “Never.”  
“What are you, like Amish? That’s one sheltered existence you got there.” Steve shrugs, “As far as my family is concerned, I can’t do anything.” Tony sits beside Steve, “Yeah. Well, no-one knows about even half the shit I get up to”, tony pauses, “with your folks, it’s from a place of love, though right? They worry.” Steve sighs, “They don’t worry. Just the concept of me enjoying myself… That would blow their minds.”  
Tony looks at Steve for a moment. Steve is kicking his legs against the wall, absentmindedly. Tony looks at his legs, “What would like to do? That you’ve never done?” He sidles in, a little closer. Steve smiles, a little excited, a little shy. “Uh…”, Steve looks up at the Sky, “Oh so many things.”  
“San Junipero’s a party town. All up for grabs,” Tony replies, “midnight’s two hours away”, he continues. Tony’s inched in a little more. Steve is almost shaking now, with nerves and excitement. “That’s not long”, Steve replies. Tony brushed confetti away from Steve’s neck. Then, leans in and talks quietly, almost in his ear, “Why waste time sitting here?”. He puts his hand on Steve’s inner thigh. Steve exhales as if with vertigo.  
Steve abruptly stands up, very flustered, “I—uh—I—listen…” Tony isn’t offended, immediately takes it with good grace. “It’s okay” Tony responds.  
“No. I mean…” Steve puts his hands over his eyes, “Dammit”. His eyes open again, trying to get words out, “Look I—ah—you seem…”  
“Really it’s okay” Tony reassures.  
Steve babbles, “I’m engaged! I have a fiancé”.  
“At your age?” Tony says in a snooty way.  
“Yes, I know, yes”.  
Tony is almost amused by Steve’s embarrassed flustering. “She’s a good girl. She’s a nice girl”, Steve continues. “Good girl, nice girl”, Tony says questioning Steve.  
“She is a good girl.”  
“Rootin’ Tootin’ straight up gal—”  
“Peggy! She’s called Peggy”, Steve interrupts.  
“And is Peggy here?” Tony gestures. “No, she’s…” Steve indicates ‘somewhere else’. “Elsewhere?” Tony questions. “Yeah” Steve answers. “Uh-huh” Tony pauses, “you want to go to bed with me? We could be back at mine like…” he clicks his fingers. “I never did anything like that” Steve says super nervously, with a slight blush in his cheeks.  
Tony smiling, “All the more reason.” Steve agonizes for moment, “I… You’re nice. I can’t.” Tony shrugs, “okay.”  
“I can’t. I—”  
Tony is still good-natured, “I get it.”  
“I have to go” Steve rushes  
“In this?” Tony says indicating the rain.  
“It’s been great to meet you” says Steve. He holds out his hand. To shake hands. Tony looks at his hand, amused. Then shakes it, “Likewise” Tony replies. Then Steve turns and starts to walk away, quickly. Tony watches him leave for a moment, still slightly amused.  
Steve strides away, through the rain, murmuring to himself. “Okay. Okay. Okay” Steve tells himself, “Shit. Shit.” He Stops. He looks up at the sky again. Closes his eyes. Exhales, opens his eyes again. Makes a decision. He turns on his heel to look at Tony. But he’s not there, Steve just catches a glimpse of Tony walking back in through the fire escape, the door closing behind him. Steve hovers for a moment, then decides not to follow. He turns around again and walks away, a little crushed.  
The moon hovers the night sky. A perfect circle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve goes back to shield trying to find tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never thought people would actually read this, lol. Still getting the hang of this website. enjoy chapter 2

One week later.

 

Golden hour.  Amber light cast on mountains in the background as the sun bows behind the ocean.  In a low-rise apartment block, a light is on.  The room is small and sparsely decorated.  _Panic_ by _The Smiths_ is playing on a small tape deck.  Steve stands in front of a full length mirror, wearing similar dowdy gear to last week.  He's looking at himself.  He takes off his glasses.  Next, he's trying on a prep look, figure-hugging, a little like the typical rich guy in an 80's movie.  He looks at himself, and wrinkles his nose.  It's not him.  Now he's trying another look. A velour track suit with reebok shoes, looking like a guy in a hip-hop video.  Again, he decides against it.

 

Next he's in the bathroom, looking closely into a cabinet mirror at his face.  His hair is now slicked back, he's now giving a cold look on his face, looking like the male models of the day.  He looks up and don on the tight black clothing.  He looks at his face, it's not him.  "No", Steve sighs out.  Finally he tries something else.  A bit more confident, a bit more glam than before, but still him.  He puts on his glasses.

 

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Tony is leaving a house-- a kind of clapboard beach house-- and walking towards his car, a red jeep.  _Sign O' The Times_ starts playing on the stereo.  He reverses out of the driveway and goes to drive forward, but suddenly Carol is there, in the road.  He pulls a face, not entirely unkind, but unimpressed and impatient.  He guns the engine and drives around her.  Tony's car roars along the highway, _Prince_ at full volume.  He taps the steering wheel in time to the beat.  Now it's getting dark.  Tony's jeep rolls into the parking lot and pulls to a halt.  He climbs out, locks the door, turns around-- and there's Carol.

"What the hell, Carol?"

Tony starts to head to the bar, Carol follows,"Look okay, I know--"

"I'm red-lighting you" Tony says cutting Carol off, "For real okay?"

"No don't!"

"Then stop this Carol!"

"Just hear me out."

Tony stops, this is no fun now, "How many guys you think there are in San Junipero?  Hundreds? Thousands?"

"I don't care--"

 

Tony starts talking, "I'm saying there's plenty of other guys for you Carol.  Ones you should actually settle down with."  "The locals?"  Carol says disgusted, "they're like dead people--"  Just then a nearby party- going group walk past- a man, whoops. 

"A little lively for dead people-" Tony adds.

"I don't want some boring romance like, Jesus, put us in the retirement home, deal--"

Tony interrupts, "Well if you just want someone to fuck, there's options, hang out at the Quagmire again--"

"It's not just sex--" Carol says intensely.

"It was just sex", Tony clarifies

"We made a connection!"

"Carol?  Truly, it was just sex."  Carol is a little wounded,"But.  No..."  Tony takes her hand, "I'm done with attachments.  I went down that road.  For a long time.  And it's... I can't do that again.  No roots."  He puts his hand on her cheek, "We had fun.  I'm sorry" Tony begins to turn around, "Enjoy the town for god's sake."  Carol nods, she knows she's beaten, Tony heads for the bar.

 

_Living in a box_ by _Living in a box_ is playing.  Tony is at he bar.  A girl called Wanda, who looks like she's trying to emulate a business lady who doesn't want romance without finance, slides next to Tony.  He looks up.  "Hey" she says.  Tony's not too interested, but he's polite, "Hey."

"Waiting for someone?" she asks.

"Not really."

Wanda sits beside him, "Get you a drink?"

"Sure."

 

A small distance away, Steve is found, dressed in his regular attire, watching Tony, plucking up the courage to approach.  From Steve's perspective, Tony is listening to Wanda.  When in reality Tony is a tad bored.  Wanda's saying stuff like, "... so it was micro-surgery I guess, I mean both my kneecaps were just worn down..."  Back to Steve.  he seems to be exhaling, calming himself, mentally counting down.  Then, he starts walking over.

 

Meanwhile, Wanda has noticed the chorus to _Living in a box_ , "Never got this song; it's kind of weird."  Tony Looks around and spots Steve, He smiles and holds his arm out to Wanda, "Shall we dance?"  "Uh, Sure-" She responds.  He leads her to the dance floor.  Steve stops walking and watches.  As they approach the dance floor, _Need You Tonight_ by _INXS_ comes on.  Tony dances to the chorus.  Aware he's being watched, Steve watches, wanting to walk over, and failing.

 

Tony sits in a booth with Wanda, while she talks theatre.  Steve sits alone at the table across the way, with a drink.  The jukebox is playing _Club Nouveau's_ cover of _Lean on Me._   Steve looks back over at Tony.  Tony is looking at the table, Steve looks back down at his drink, blushing, then back at Tony.  This time Tony is looking at him, sipping on a straw flustered Steve looks back down.  Tony smiles faintly, he leans in to Wanda , interrupting her.  "... I mean I guess if at the time, I'd put that money into, like computing.  Caught that first wave, woulda been a different story-"  "Gotta use the bathroom", Tony tells her.  He stands up and walks toward the men's room.  Across the way, Steve watches him go.  Tony glances at him as he leaves.  Steve gets up.

 

In the men's room moments later.

There's no-one else here.  Tony is standing in front of the mirror checking his hair.  Steve enters.  He stands beside him.  Just stands there for a moment, no-one says anything.  Then Steve breaks the silence, "I don't know how to do this."  Tony is still looking in the mirror.  Mock innocent, "Do what?"

"Just help me" Steve nervously says, "Can you just-"

Tony looks at him

"Can you make this easy for me?" Steve finishes. 

Tony touches his face, "You want to get in my car?"  Steve looking at the floor, nods.  "Then let's do that" Tony continues.  Tony leads Steve out via fire escape, walks to the car.  He opens the passenger door.  Steve hesitates, starring at the car a moment.  "I got to lift you up and put you in?" Tony teases, Steve gets in.

 

Tony is racing, at speed, down the freeway.  A coastal road.  Steve winces slightly as they skid around a bend.  Tony in a voice raised over the engine, "RELAX, WHAT'S THE WORST THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN?"  Steve looks out the window.  Then back at Tony, "How long have you been here?" Steve asks.  "Sorry?"

"How long have you been here?" Steve repeats in a raised voice.

"In San Junipero?"

"Yeah"

"Ah" Tony thinks, "Couples months" slight pause, "plan is, long enough to enjoy myself."  He looks at Steve, "Guess I'm a tourist like you", and gives him a smile.  Steve looks out the window again, "yeah."

 

Steve looks a little troubled, Tony can't see this, but after a few beats he notices Steve is facing the other way.  "Hey!" nothing "you okay?" Tony is waiting for Steve to answer.  "Yeah", Steve turns around, Tony is looking straight at him, not watching the road.  Suddenly Steve sees headlights coming straight for them.  Their car has drifted into the oncoming lane.  "SHIT!" Steve yells.  Tony quickly tugs the wheel, sending the car off the road, on a long dusty bank.  Steve looks **terrified**.  The car skids to a halt.  Tony looks at Steve, who's ruffled, breathing fast.  Suddenly Tony claps his hands, laughs once, "Sorry but" Tony laughs, "Man your face."  Steve laughs nervously, Tony starts the engine again.

 

They arrive at Tony's house.  Tony's Jeep is parked outside his home.  Tony and Steve are entering the front door.  They walk inside, Steve looks around.  It's a nice place, Steve looks around a moment, "Wow!"

"You like it?"

Steve is looking around, "It's just so big-"

"Reminds me of where I grew up-" Tony adds.

 

Steve spot a small photo of a man aged around 40 on a mantel piece.  A photo of a dark haired man smiling beneath a hand made sign reading "Happy Birthday Peter."  "With your dad?" Steve asks.  Tony gently turns Steve away from the photo, to face him instead.  Then he starts kissing Steve.  After a moment's hesitation, Steve reciprocates.

They move to the bedroom.

 

It's dark in here.  The two men lay down on the bed, Tony leading Steve.  Tony's hand moves to unbutton Steve's jeans.  Steve is breathless, "You'll have show me." "Good", Tony replies.  Tony takes Steve's shirt off, revealing his muscular body, "Wow!"  They kiss passionately.

Waves crash intensely with the rocks of the beach.

 

Afterwards, about an hour later, they lie side-by-side in the darkness, looking up at the ceiling, the moon light lets them see eachother.  "You never slept with a man before?" Tony asks while playing with Steve's hair "that's not a critique.  I mean that was fucking awesome."  Steve has the reddest face ever, "Never with a man," Steve pauses shortly, "Never with anyone."  Tony is astonished, "Not anyone?  What in town or--"

"No-one nowhere."

He turns, smiling, "Guess you took my v-card."

"V-card?" Tony laughs, "What is this?  Eighth Grade?"

"Shut up" Steve says affectionately.

"You've had relationships thought?"

"Uh-huh", but Steve is thinking _no_.

"Hello, you got a _fiancé_..."

"It's- That's- Complicated" Steve stutters.

"Yeah I'll say."

 

There's a silence.  They hold hands.  Steve turns to face Tony, "When did you know?  That you liked men?"  "Uh, I like women too." Jokingly Tony raises his fist, "Equal Rights!"  "Okay.  But when did you know?  Did you always... know?"  Tony looks at him, he doesn't usually open up to conquests, but there' something about Steve.

 

"I was married to a woman, a long time I was married... I always 'knew', I mean, I would be attracted to other guys, coworkers, friends, some waiter who'd serve me..."  Tony laughs at his memory, "There were crushes, My god were there crushes."  His face hardens slightly, he continues, "Never acted on any of it.  Never did anything.  I was in love with her, I **really** was in love with her."  This is hard for him, "but she chose not to stick around."  Steve slides closer, and runs his hand through Tony's hair.  There are tears glistening in Tony's eyes now, "So now it's me.  And I'm passing through, and before I leave I'll have a good time.. I'm just gonna have a good time,"

 

Steve leans over and gives him a kiss.  Tony is embarrassed, possibly even annoyed by the vulnerability he's just displayed.  He glances at a clock radio by the bed.  It's 11:59pm.  "Time's nearly up" Tony says.  "Then lets lie here", Steve replies.  They lie, in the dark, without speaking for a full fifteen seconds.

 

The clock radio hits 12:00am.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, next chapter will be short.


	3. Chapter 3

One Week Later.

The Billboard poster has been replaced by a poster promoting _Spaceballs_.  Steve walks along Bakerstreet, smiling, passes the store window with the TV  in it.  There's a trail for the _Max Headroom_ TV show on it.  He heads for Shield's.  Steve heads into the bar and looks around.  There's no sign of Tony.  He explores the arcade section.  No sign of him there either (or Natasha, come to that).  He checks out the booth area and the dance floor.  Nope.

Finally he sits by the bar, sipping a coke and looking around.  But Tony's still not there.  _I wanna dance with somebody_ is playing, loudly.  Eventually he leans to speak to 'Thor', the barman.  Has to shout to be heard.  "You seen Tony?"  "What's that?" the barman says.  "Tony!" Steve clarifies.  "Haven't seen him all night."  Steve looks around again.  The barman shouts, "you tried the Quagmire?" 

"What is the Quagmire?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, super short lol.


	4. Chapter 4

It's night time, at an off section of road.

Steve stands beside the road, almost the middle of nowhere.  He looks at a napkin in his hand, with a scribbled map on it, given to him by the barman.  In front of him is a gate with a dirt track behind it.  Beside it, on a small pole, is a sort of entry buzzer with the word 'Quagmire' where the residential name would be.  He pushes the button.

"Uh-huh?" says a voice coming from the intercom.

"Hi- I'm looking for someone-"

"Good luck with that."

CLICK, they're gone.  Steve pushes the button again.  In a bored sounding voice from the intercom, "You want in?"

"Yeah" Steve says hesitantly.

"You sure?"

"Uh, yeah-- I--"  There's a buzz.  The gate is unlocked, he opens it and steps through.  In front of him, down the end of the track, in the distance, he sees The Quagmire.  This must be the place, for one thing, it has a big neon sign that says _Quagmire_.  The Quagmire looks and sounds hard-core, like a roadhouse from an 80s action film mixed with a German techno club.  _You gotta fight for your right to party_ blaring from within.

Two women are making out in the back of a pick up truck parked to one side.  Steve looks at all this, daunted, what the fuck?  Steve walks in and almost leaves immediately.  The interior of the club looks like a transgressive music video.  There are people dancing in cages, with snakes.  It's steamy, transgressive and weird In here.  Like walking into the video for _Relax_ by _Frankie goes to Hollywood_.

A man with a shaved bald head, wrapped in chains, wearing nothing but a tight jockstrap, and pulling on absurdly serious face, dances directly into Steve's path, like he thinks he's a frickin' art installation.  he goes to step around him, and he dances in his way.  He steps the other way and the guys finally relents.  Steve looks around, in search of Tony.  This is part pick-up joint, part fantasy-fulfilment dive bar.  People making out in the corners.  Exploring/flaunting their sexuality any way they can.

Steve looks at all this, daunted.  What the fuck?

A couple sidle over to Steve.  A man and a woman, both in their mid twenties.  Both dressed as sailors.  "Hey" the mans says loudly over the music.  "Wanna have fun?" says the woman.

"I'm okay, thanks" Steve says embarrassed.  He walks away.  Now the music is _Something Against You_ by the _Pixies_.  It's claustrophobic.  Stuffed corridors.  He finds himself squeezing past more people.  The further he ventures in, the more warren-like it gets.  At one point he passes a room in which some kind of orgy seems to be taking place.  Then another area- from the doorway, glimpsed over shoulders and between arms.  He can see there's some sort of bare-knuckle fight going on.  No blood.

Steve turns away and almost walks straight into Carol, who's striding past clutching a bottle of alcohol.  "Whoa, hey!" she says.  "Sorry" their eyes meet.  Carol starts talking, "I know you from somewhere... Shield... Tony' friend huh?"  Steve nodding, "you know where to find him?"  "How would I know that?"  she starts to walk away.  "You're his friend" Steve yells politely.  "Was a friend"

"Has he been here?"

"No."  A beat.  She looks at him.  A penny drops for her, "you too huh?  Well-" She drinks in a kind of toast.  Steve looks flat.  This is no use.  He's about to leave when Carol takes pity on him.  "Try a different time  Seen him in the 80s, mid 90s, 2002 one time," she takes a sip, "He's worth a shot right?"  She raises her bottle again.

Steve turns towards the exit.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. Please enjoy.

One week later, but on Barton street, as the evening sun burns amber, earlier period cars are driving by.  They date from 1980.

The billboard now advertises the doomed Village People movie _Can't Stop the Music_. 

 

Steve, exactly the same age, but dressed subtly differently, his styling befitting the year 1980, strides past the store with the TV in the window.  Which is showing a scene from the " _Who Shot T.R?"_ storyline in _Dallas_.  He heads purposefully for Shield.

 

_Funkytown_ by Lipps Inc pounds from the speakers as Steve looks around.  Everyone is dressed in the styles and fashions of 1980, but there is no sign of Tony.  Steve walks past the arcade section, which features _Pac Man_ , _Rally-X_ , and _Missile Command_.  And there's Natasha, the games girl.  She's styled like a young Molly Ringwald, and has just completed a game of _Battlezone_ when she spots Steve, "Hey!"  Steve recognizes her, "Oh hey!"  Natasha points at the Pac Man cabinet, "Golden Age, right?"  "Right!" Steve says still looking around.  "You playing, or..."  "Sorry looking for someone," Steve apologizes.  Natasha nods, "Maybe next time?"  Steve nods and walks away.

* * *

 

One week later.

 

It is night time on San Junipero's main street.  The billboard?  Independence Day.  A '96 Ford Contour slides by.  Steve-again, the same age but now styled in a grunge flannel like attire, but still keeping the glasses.  He walks past the store, which now has a Sony Trinitron in the window, relaying a story about the Atlanta Olympics.  He looks up at the Shield sign, which has changed.  It looks more... 90's.

 

Steve walks over to the arcade.  He catches a glimpse of a part of the intro to the Namco arcade game _TIME CRISIS_ , which looks like an early PlayStation attempt to recreate the movie  _Die Hard_.   Steve walks past.  Deeper into the Bar, the music system is playing  _Killing Me Softly_  by The Fugees.  In almost a shot for shot repeat of when Steve first saw Tony in the club, everyone's dressed and styled a la 1996.  Again he looks, again no sign.  Steve sighs.  No dice.

 

Moments later, Steve is standing outside Tony's house.  The lights are off.  He looks through the window- nothing.  Checks the door.  Steve stands back a distance and calls up at the upper windows.  "Tony!" then louder, "TONY!" but nothing.

__

* * *

One week later.

 

There's a billboard for _The Bourne Identity_.  A Chrysler PT cruiser thrums past.  Steve, styled for the era, passes a shop window with a widescreen TV showing footage from 2002.  Into Shield he goes.  The system is blaring _Can't Get You Out of My Head_ by Kylie Minogue.  Steve scans the bar, the booths, the dance floor- nothing.  He's walking out, past the arcade section, past a Namco _Dance Dance Revolution 7th Mix_ machine, one of those huge two-player 'dancing games' where you step on pads on the floor to progress, when he suddenly stops.  Tony's dancing on it, with Natasha, whose alternative look suddenly seems quite chic.

 

Steve walks over to watch as they dance to some hi-energy Japanese pop.  Tony is doing well, as is Natasha.  As the music comes to an end, they're both awarded a GREAT! ranking.  Tony high-fives Natasha, and looks around.  He locks eyes with Steve.  Looks unsure of himself for a moment, his smile drops.  Then he turns to Natasha, "Excuse me, gotta use the bathroom."  He starts to head off, Steve is in hot pursuit.  By the restroom, he catches up to him.

 

"Now you wait a minute!" Steve says in a demanding voice

"Why are you here?" asks an irritated Tony.

"I was looking for you.  Where did you go?"

"Felt like a change of music" Tony starts fiddling with a Nokia 7650.  Steve immediately snatches it from him and throws it across the room, "How the hell is this your era?"  Tony pointing after the phone, annoyed, "I was looking at that"

"You hid from me."

"One, I did not.  Two, I owe you zero, and Three, see point two." He storms into the men's restroom.  Steve is right on Tony's heels.  "It's not about who owes who, it's about manners."  "Hah!" Tony chuckles.  "You don't know who I am.  You don't know what this means."

Tony using his fingers indicating 'The World', "THIS, means fun, or it should," he now is indicating 'you and me', "And THIS, this is not fun.  Okay.  This is not fun."  Steve stops fighting, his eyes are wet.  "Okay, look.  Don't [do that]" Tony starts trying to comfort in his own way.  "So you don't feel bad?" Steve asks.  Tony doesn't know what to say.  "Maybe you should feel bad, or at least feel something." Steve turns and leaves, Tony sighs.  He turns and looks at himself in the mirror.  Then he punches the mirror, hard.  It splinters.  Shatters.  Tony looks down at his hand.  No blood.  He looks at his reflection in the mirror, which is now unharmed.

 

Moments later, the fire door is flung open as Steve stomps out.  In the middle of the alleyway, he paces in a circle for a moment, upset and uncertain, not knowing what to do.  He spots the fire escape, sneaking up the side of the building.

 

Shortly afterwards, Tony emerges from the front of Shield.  Looking for Steve.  He looks around and can't see anything, "Steve?"  He starts heading for the main street to see if he can find him.  All he can see is a couple sitting on the hood of a car, looking up at something high up, behind him, he paces over to them.  "You seen a guy.  Mid twenties, blonde hair, glasses?"  The girl half of the couple just points up behind Tony.  Tony turns.  Standing on the roof of Shield on the very edge, is Steve looking down at the sidewalk.  "Aw geez" Tony tells himself.

 

As Tony turns to the head for the fire escape, the girl turns to the guy.  "Why's he up there anyhow?"  He shrugs a little, "Newbie testing the boundaries.  Dumbasses pull that shit a lot," he nudges her, "Not that I'm against tourist."  The girl giggles. 


	6. Chapter 6

 

Tony Clambers off the top of the fire escape.  Steve is now sitting on the edge now, calmly, legs dangling over the side.  Tony makes his way towards him, "Please tell me you got your pain slider set to zero."

Steve continues to stare out at San Junipero, "I think so."

Tony takes off his shoes and sits down beside him, "Okay listen-"

Steve cuts him off, points down at the sidewalk, the people.  "How many of them are dead?  Like what percentage?"

"As in full timers?" Tony shrugs, "Eighty, Eight-Five."

Steve nods.

"I'm sorry," Tony starts.

"I'm not gonna jump-"

"I know, I'm sorry whatever, it's... in the time I've been here" Tony sighs, "I'm just visiting, you know?  And it's... I didn't want to... I said I wouldn't... I don't know... 'do' feelings"  Tony pauses slightly, "you freaked me out."  He takes Steve's hand, "I don't want to 'like' anyone.  So you've been..." Tony laughs gently, "...just totally fucking inconvenient."  Tony squeezes his hand harder, "Is... that... I mean... " Tony is getting emotional now, "I don't know how long there is, and I can't... I... I wasn't prepared for this, for YOU, for wanting something so-"  Abruptly Steve turns to him, and they kiss passionately.


	7. Chapter 7

Later,

On the balcony outside of Tony's bedroom.  The clock reads 11:55p.m.  The décor in Tony's room is slightly different, 2002 style.  There's a poster for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics on the wall.  The bed is in disarray.

 

On the balcony, the men sit, Steve is wrapped in a bed sheet, and Tony is wearing Steve's large white shirt and his hair ruffled.  San Junipero can be seen in the distance.  Tony leans over to the side, smoking a cigarette.  Steve breaks the silence, "I can't believe I'm getting married next week."

"Next week?" Tony replies, "To 'nice' Peggy?  Sure you're going through with that?"

"I have to."

"You _have_ to?"

Steve thinks for a moment, "She really is a good gal.  I mean my family don't approve, but they can't stop us" he pauses, breathes, "I know she pities me, that pisses me off, and that's not fair..."

Tony kisses his cheek, "Shhh."

Steve turns to face Tony, "You said you didn't know how long there is.  Back on the roof. 'I don't know how long there is'.  What was that?"  Tony tenses up a little.  He leans back and exhales, "They tell me three months.  It spread basically everywhere."  Steve is in full attention, Tony continues, "They've said three months before, six months ago, so y'know what do they know?"  Tony looks at the cigarette in his fingers, "doesn't even taste of anything."  He flicks it over the edge.  There is a silence.

 

Steve begins to stroke Tony's hair, "So... you're gonna stay here?  Pass over, go full time?"

Tony shakes his head, "No, when I'm done, I am done."

"But that's... I mean why...?" Steve asks.

"Pepper... that's... my wife's name was Pepper... She died just two years ago.  She had the opportunity to stay in San Junipero, pass over.  Didn't take it.  Didn't want to take it."

"Why wouldn't anyone take it?" Steve is amazingly shocked.

"She... we both... she had her viewpoint.  There were things she believed, and things she didn't believe in, and this place was one of them.  She wouldn't even visit, take the trail run." Tony is starting to tear up.

"SHIT!" Steve says, "I wasn't sure I wanted to try it out, but... like without this place, I'd **never** would’ve met someone like you..." He turns to Tony. 

"Yeah you could have." Tony tries to reassure Steve.

"I couldn't..."

"We could have met outside all this..." Tony says.

"You would not have got me at all.  At All." Steve let's out a sigh, "If you really met me, I mean if you REALLY met me, you wouldn't like me..."

"Try me" Tony interrupts.

"...or you wouldn't... you wouldn't want to spend time with me... you'd..."

"Try Me!" Tony says more forcefully.

 

Steve looks at him with a confused face, "There's no point.  Where are you?  Huston...?"

"Carson City, Nevada" Tony answers.  Steve says nothing.

Tony a little offended, "So come on.  I 'showed you mine'.  Where are you?"  No Answer.  "I can just look it up..." Tony teases.

"Santa Rosa, California" Steve utters out.

"That's no distance!"

"It's what, 200 miles..." Steve is trying to tell him "no" in a mean way. But Tony is not buying it, "I like to travel.  When they let me, which is not often."

 

"So they won't let you anyway and..." Steve is still trying to tell Tony no.

"Oh I'll **make** them let me..."

"Steve hardens, "I don't want you to.  I don't want you to see me."  Steve is emotional, "I mean I'm scared-"

"And I'm dying." Tony holds Steve's head up, "Whatever you are can't scare me.  Let me come visit.  I wanna say hi."

Steve stares at him, almost imperceptibly nods.

 

In the bedroom, The clock radio clicks from 11:59 to 12:00.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony visits Steve. Everything is not as it seems. Tony asks Steve a serious question about their relationship.

Sienna Trust Assisted Living.

 

It's daytime outside a care home for seniors, a frail man in his mid 70's is helped into a futuristic-looking vehicle by a young nurse, with a name-tag that reads Rhodey.  "Okay Tony..." Rhodey says, "Take my hand... there you go."  Once they are both in the car, it automatically drives, a driverless vehicle.  As the nurse, Rhodey, sits reading some kind of translucent tablet.  Elderly Tony (because yes, that's who it is) looks out of the window, watching the scenery, a faint smile on his lips.

 

Later, the vehicle has come to a halt outside a hospital in Santa Rosa.  ST. BIRINUS Hospital.  Rhodey helps Tony down the steps of the vehicle.  A doctor in his 30's holds out a hand to greet him.  "You must be Tony."  Tony replies a little sarcastically, "I guess I must..." he squints towards the doctor's chest, "...DR Banner."  Dr. Banner smiles, "He's waiting for you." Banner, gestures them to go inside.

 

The doctor leads Tony to a small private room.  He opens the door for Tony, then waits outside the room.  He follows Tony as he walks inside.  Tony can hear the soft beep of a monitoring device.  The percussive rise and fall of a mechanical ventilator.  "He won't be able to physically respond in anyway, but he can hear you." Dr. Banner starts heading out the door, "I'll give you some privacy."

 

Tony looks down, there lying in bed, is an exceptionally frail man in his early 70's.  Grey hair, and bot much of it.  He's in a neck brace, he can't move.  His eyes are open, his mouth is frozen in a blank expression- neither a smile nor a grimace.  He's looking at Tony from his fixed position.  Tony, for a moment he doesn't know quite what to do.  he walks closer, takes a seat beside the bed.  He looks at Steve, takes his hand, "Hi Stupid."  he squeezes Steve's hand.  "It's good to see you" he rub's Steve's hair and kisses him on the forehead.

* * *

 

 

A little later, Rhodey is helping Tony along the corridor when a kind-looking, quite attractive young nurse catches up with them.  "Hi... is it... Tony?" she asks.  As Tony turns to her, "It is."  She then holds out her hand, "I'm Peggy."  Tony stares at her for a moment, "You're Peggy?" he's in completely in shock, "Well HOLY SHIT!"  Peggy laughs at that "You know I think it's great you came in person before he passes over, I mean even his folks don't visit no more so-"

Tony is shocked, "He's... He's passing over?"

There's a silence, Tony looks lost in thought.  Peggy looks over at Rhodey with a 'What do I do?' face, Rhodey looks back at her with an 'I don't know'.  Tony is the one to break the silence, "When?" Tony asks.  Peggy waves an arm in the direction of the hospital cafeteria, "uh... let's go grab a coffee."

 

Elder Tony sits opposite Peggy at a small table.  They both have trays in front of them.  Lines behind them forming to get food and drinks.  "So he didn't tell you?" she asks.  "No", he sets his coffee down, "No he did not... He said he was just visiting."  "More like visiting the trial version" Peggy adds.  Tony stares down into his coffee, Peggy fills the silence, "I mean I known him the past three years.  We talk on the com-box.  He told how he ended up quadriplegic?  And how long he's been that way?"  Tony's face says no, he didn't.

 

"So one night, he's 21... comes out to his folks.  They're a little 'up tight' about it you might say.  They tell him they don't want a gay son, it's not natural and so forth.  They fight, he gets in his car, runs it off the road.  BOOM!"

"When he was 21?" Tony asks in a shocked tone.

"More than 50 years back.  It's been his whole lifetime basically, so the who San Junipero system's been a big deal for him.  The biggest deal."  She takes a bite out of her sandwich, "The hospital didn't have a subscription, some of us held a crowd-sourcing campaign.  Took us a year but we got the money."  She sips her drink, "Course till he passes over, goes permanent, he's got the five-hour weekly limit, but I guess you're the same."

Tony nods in agreement, "They ration it out.  They don't trust us with more."

 

"I mean they say you can go crazy if you have too much.  Never leave your seat, disassociate your body from your mind..."  Tony is warming up slightly towards Peggy, "Like that doesn't happen at every senior home already.  System's there for therapeutic reasons, officially at my place. 'Immersive Nostalgia Therapy', 'Plunge you into a world of memories'; helps with Alzheimer's.  That's what they say."  Peggy stops eating for a moment and looks at Tony, "that's not my problem incidentally" Tony adds.  She smiles and raises a coffee up, "Small Mercies."

 

Tony wants to address something, "So.  This 'marriage'...?"  Peggy finishes her coffee and exhales.  "State's got a triple-lock on euthanasia cases," counting on her fingers, "you gotta have sign off from the doc, the patient, and a family member.  Stops people from passing over just 'cause they prefer San Junipero flat out."  Elderly Tony sardonically looks around the dowdy cafeteria, "Who'd want to leave all this wonder?"  Peggy chuckles lightly before she starts talking, "Anyhow Steve's family?  Big time religious.  Don't come to fucking see him- pardon my tongue- but they're big time religious, and they won't sign."

 

"But a spouse can override that.  Hence the wedding bells."  Peggy nods in agreement, "you got it.  Got a Pastor coming tomorrow in the morning, he's scheduled to pass tomorrow afternoon."

"Scheduled to pass... Let's just call it dying." Tony says.

"If you _can_ call it dying," Peggy adds.

"Uploaded to the cloud.  Sounds like heaven."

"I guess." Peggy replies.

"So you gonna wear a dress?" Tony asks.

She laughs shaking her head, "Ceremony's in my coffee break.  I never married, so I figured what's the harm?"

Tony watches her eat for a moment, "you're a good... a really nice gal."

She shrugs, "Least I could do, right?"

 

Tony thinks, "You think you could hook us up to the system, now, just for a little while, before he passes?"  Peggy pauses, "You can still see him afterwards.  I mean then he's _'no limits'_ , he's full-fat San Juniperan-" Peggy adds.  "I know, but- can you?" Tony pleads.  Peggy stops eating, "We're meant to stick to the five hour cut off.  Once a week..."

"But you can bend that.  They let us have more on birthdays and Thanksgiving, you know, special occasions." Tony is still trying to push Peggy.

"Seriously, it's so tight they..." Peggy tries to reject.

"Night before his wedding, that's a special occasion," Tony persuades, and Peggy thinks.

 

"I only want a moment," Tony says.  Peggy buckles, "You brought your..." she gestures toward tony, "Connector with you?"  Tony nods while taking out the connector out of a bag, "I like to call it a 'beeper'".  They get up and they head out of the cafeteria.  They move to the private room along with Tony's caregiver Rhodey, Peggy heads over to Steve's bed.

 

Tony sits in a chair in the corner of the room, a box about the size of a paperback book in his hands.  He opens it up and there's a small, extendable device within.  Something like a cross between a set of headphones and a stethoscope.  Peggy meanwhile, is affixing an identical device to Steve, a nodule touching his temple, in the bed.  She then points to Rhodey, "Sir, watch the door," she then points to Tony, "You got FIVE minutes.  No more."  Tony mouths a 'Thank You'.  Tony positions the device in place and touches the button on a small handheld controller.  A small blue LED embedded in the device nodule starts to glimmer.

* * *

 

 

1987.  It's Tony's San Junipero house, during daylight hours.  He opens to door, and there on the sand looking a little confused,  is Steve.  "Hey!  Over Here!" Tony yells as he rushes over to Steve.  Steve turns around, "Not been here during daylight hours before... it's warm."  Tony joins him.  They hold hands and walk along the sand.  "So I spoke to Peggy."

"uh-huh." Steve says hesitantly.

"You're passing over tomorrow?"

"Couple hours after the wedding," Steve looks around, "So I guess technically I'm honeymooning here forever." Steve turns to face Tony, "I'm sorry, I didn't tell y..."

Tony puts a finger to Steve's lips, "I'm gonna say something crazy."

"Okay ," Steve replies.

Tony goes down on one knee.  Right there,"Wanna marry me instead?"

Steve looks Stunned.

"It's just... Peggy seems great, but... why not someone you've... connected with...?"

Steve drops down, kisses him.

"Is that a yes?", Tony says while laughing.

* * *

 

 

The following day in the private hospital room, the wedding begins.  A pastor is reading words of the marriage ceremony, as Tony sits beside Steve holding his hand.  Peggy and Rhodey look on, "... to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, is good times and bad, for richer or poorer..."  Later a hospital official staff holds out a translucent tablet, with a consent form on it.  Using his forefinger, Tony taps a consent box for [spouse], his consent is registered.  The official looks round at Dr. Banner, fives the nod.  In the bed, Steve is hooked up with the 'connector' device.  There's also a new tube attaches to his arm.  The doctor holds a syringe.  He looks at Tony, who is sitting beside Steve, and stroking Steve's hair.  He nods at the doctor.  The doctor presses the syringe.  An opaque white fluid travels through the snaking pipe, into Steve's arm.  The winking LED on the connector starts to go into overdrive.  Tony strokes Steve's hand.  A screen indicates his vital signs have finished.  Peggy draws a sheet over Steve's face.  A single tear rolls down Steve's cheek.

 

Its a deserted beach, daylight hours.  A small cove, white sand.  Steve alone, walks along the shore, closing his eyes and feeling the warmth of the sun.  he picks up a stone and tosses it into the water.  He feels the breeze and smiles.  He sits on the beach, clenching and unclenching his toes in the sand.  He removes his glasses, looks at them for a moment and drops them on the sand.  Looks up and watches the sea and the skies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this getting to confusing, ill try to explain a little more next chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All seems like a dream come true... or is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for late update, but I had a lot of projects and tests for my classes.

The car has driven to a halt outside Sienna Trust Living.  It's still sunny outside.  Elder Tony is being helped out of the car by Rhodey.  Once inside, they head towards the main seating area.  Rhodey helps to a comfy-looking armchair, Tony starts coughing painfully and deeply.  With Rhodey's assistance he slips on the connector device and sits back in his armchair, coughing once more. "You sure you're alright?" Rhodey asks to reassure Tony.  Tony nods and indicates for Rhodey to hit the button.  He closes his eyes.

* * *

 

 

San Junipero, sunset.  Steve stands by the side of the road, waiting, staring at the waves crash onto the beach.  He has no thoughts, his eyes reflect the sunlight in the distance.  Suddenly, Tony pulls up in his 1987 Jeep, 'I Need Love' by LL Cool J is blasting on the stereo.  The red jeep has a giant white bow on the front, and Tony is wearing a puffy 80's white tuxedo.  Steve laughs, and with instinct, has his hand on his peck, and is almost out of breath from the laughter.

"You didn't dress up to see me?  Come on..." Tony says as laughter slips out of his lips.

Suddenly Steve is in a white tuxedo, "Better?"  Smiling, Tony opens the car door.  Steve climbs in and they drive off, there are tin cans affixed to the back, bouncing and sparking off the road.

 

It's officially night time, the jeep sits parked in an isolated spot looking down over San Junipero below.  The two men sit side by side on the hood, looking at the lights below, crickets chirping.  Steve looks up at the moon, and back out at the lights, "Looks so real," he taps on the hood, "feels so real," he turns round and kisses Tony.  He then jumps off the hood and starts dancing and laughing in the dirt.  "What are you doing?" Tony asks laughing.  "I love it!  I just..." Steve does a cartwheel and ends up looking out into the night, the wind blowing through his hair, "I love it." he says quickly.

"You've been here before," Tony says.

"Yeah but now I _Live_ here," He turns to Tony, smiling, "Be with me"  Tony looks at Steve, "I am with you now," he explains.

"That's not what I mean," Tony starts to tense up, "Pass over.  When you're ready, when it's your time.  Pass over," Steve begs.

"Steve..."

"Stay here with me..."

"Can we just enjoy tonight?" Tony is Trying to change the subject.  Steve checks his watch, "It's ten to midnight, you're out of here in ten and we gotta wait a week to meet again."  Tony tries to reassure himself, "You know I'm just a visitor..."  "For how long? Couple months?  Then what?" Steve asks more aggressively.  "We're not discussing this..." Tony is trying his best to end this conversation. But Steve isn't allowing it, "Then you'll be gone, just gone!  You could have forever!"  Steve is now sounding like a San Junipero sales ad and Tony isn't buying it "Forever?  Who could even make sense of forever..."  "How ever long you want then, you can remove yourself like that..." he snaps his fingers, "it's not a trap, it's... look at it!"  Steve gestures around.  He then taps the hood of the car again insistently.  Still tapping the hood, "Touch it," Steve says confidently.

 

Tony gets off the car, starts heading for the driver's door, "I'm going."  Steve grabs Tony's arms, turns him around.  Steve takes Tony's hands and puts them on his own face, "It's real.  This is real, and this."  He holds, gestures to the wedding ring to his finger, smiling, "Uh-huh?"

"C'mon, you know that's just a gesture..." Tony says.

"You married me." Steve says sadly.

"To help you pass over, as a... kindness..."

"Not so kind to leave." Steve says.  Tony breaks of the hold Steve has on him.  Steve continues, "Look, I'm sorry but... I've got this chance, we got this chance... I want to share it with you."  Tony heads back to the car, "I said I made my choice," he clarifies. 

"What is it?  What, you feel bad 'cause your wife isn't here?"

"Don't!" Tony is getting angry.

"Well that war **her** choice.  She **chose** to turn this down."

"Please..." Tony begs

"It's like she left you.  I mean she could've passed over here but, no... She left you!"

That makes Tony instantly angry, hard to control it, "You don't know what you're saying," he says.

"You should be mad at her, not whipping yourself with guilt," Steve goes to take Tony's hand.

"Get off me!"

Steve tries to pull him back, "You can't see it... what she did, it was selfish actually..."

Tony Slaps him.  Steve holds his cheek, shocked.  There's a silence.

 

Then an angry Tony begins to speak, "Forty nine years!  I was with her for _**Forty Nine**_ years.  you can't begin to imagine... you can't know," he's letting it all out, "The bond.  The commitment, the boredom, the yearning, the laughter, the love of it.  The FUCKING love.  You just cannot know.  Everything we sacrificed.  The years I gave her, the years she gave me.  Did you think to ask?  Did it occur to you to ask?"  Steve is silenced, Tony is increasingly emotional and angry.  "We had a son, Peter.  Always difficult, always smart.  Died at 39 years old, bless his heart, and Pepper and I, we felt that heartbreak as one.  You think you're the only person ever suffered, go fuck yourself."

"I didn't know" Steve pleads

"Didn't think to.  You know when she was dying, Pepper said to me- when they offered her this, to pass over, pass through serve eternity in this fucking graveyard you're so in love with- she said 'How can I?  When Peter didn't get the chance, How can I?'" Tears are in Tony's eyes, "And so she went, and I wish I could believe she's with him now, they're together, but I don't.  I believe they're nowhere.  Like you said, gone, just gone."  Steve goes to embrace him, but Tony physically pushes him away.  "No.  I pitied you and that's the truth, I pitied you.  And now you give sales pitch about how fucking peachy 'forever' can be..."

Steve moves closer, "I'm sorry..."

"You want to spend forever somewhere nothing matters?  End up like Carol; all those... lost fucks at the Quagmire, trying anything just to feel something?  Go ahead but I'm out.  I'm gone."  Tony takes a long breath.

 

He pushes Steve aside, jumps in the car and guns the engine.

"Tony, I'm Sorry!"

But it's to late.  Tony roars away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who is reading the fic, I appreciate every single one of you.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, I had finals and work taking up my time also my laptop was not working at all. Thank you to all who have been reading this fic. for my first fic, it's not so bad lol. and just a reminder, this is inspired by Black Mirror and I don't own any of the ideas that went into creating the plot.

A crying Tony roars along the highway at full throttle.  The clock on the dash reads 11:58.  He's flying at full speed, a 'Just Married' hangs on the back with cans sparking furiously against the tarmac.  Tony swerves around a corner, narrowly avoiding a set of headlights.  He slams his foot herder on the accelerator.  Up ahead, a section of road gives away to a drop, but before it are a set of bollards.  Tony looks at this, and aims the car right towards it.

 

The car thumps into the bollards, dead stop.  Glass fragments spray around Tony as he flies through the windshield-like a rag doll fired from a cannon.  He skids across the tarmac and comes to a halt in the center of the road, a broken heap.  He lies there, staring at the night sky, completely still.  All is silent.  Then slowly, he sits up.  He's dusty-but physically unharmed.  He looks up at the sky again, up at the moon.

 

Then a hand reaches down to help him up.  He turns around.  It's Steve!  Tony looks at the outstretched hand, then looks up at Steve.  He begins to reach up.  The clock on the dash clicks to midnight.  Steve now stands alone in the middle of the road.

* * *

 

Elder Tony, sitting in a chair, suddenly lurches forward slightly, as though rousing from a dream.  He reaches for the 'connector' nodules on his temples and takes them off.  In the corner of the room sits Rhodey, asleep with a tablet in his lap.  Elder Tony rubs his eye a little, leans back against his chair and sighs.

...

It's night at San Junipero, Steve is alone, walking along the middle of the road, tears in his eyes, he looks up at the night sky.

* * *

Time has passed, by a few months, and the bright, burning sunlight glints off the walls of the Sienna Trust nursing home.  Elder Tony sits in a main lounge area, an oxygen tanks attached to his nostrils.  At the other tables there are seniors playing dominos and staring at the walls.  He had never fit in this place.  Later in his room, Elder Tony having a coughing fit, painful, sharp.  It comes to an end, and Rhodey rubs his back.

 

In the evening, Elder Tony sits outside, watching the sunset.  He seems at peace, smiling at the sun, and then closing his eyes.  "Well okay then," Elder Tony says indistinctly.

"Huh?" Rhodey asks.

Tony just looks at him for a moment.

"Tony?"

"I said 'Well okay then'"

Rhodey just looks puzzled.

"All things considered, I guess I'm ready."

Rhodey's even more confused. "For what?" he asks.

"For the rest of it!" and Tony smiles, turning back to the sunset.

* * *

 

It's 1987 on a look out point looking out to San Junipero.  Steve sees a plane fly by, he gets up. He climbs into a black Toyota MR2 and drives it out of the lot.  He slides a cassette into the deck and hits play.  It's Belinda Carlisle, _'Heaven is a Place on Earth.'_

                                       _"Ooh Baby do you know what that's worth?_

_Ooh Heaven is a place on earth."_

Tony is lying in bed, a tube is delivering clear liquid into his forearm.  The connector nodules in position on his temples.

                                      _"They in heaven, Love comes first_

_We'll make heaven a place on earth."_

He closes his eyes, the LEDs on the nodules go crazy.

 

Steve races along the highway in his car, middle of the day, stereo continuing to blare:

                                      _"Ooh heaven is a place on earth."_

Rhodey and a gaggle of seniors stand at the side of a grave as a coffin is lowered.

                                       _"When I feel alone_

_I reach for you_

_And you bring me home."_

The headstone reads:

HERE LIES

Peter Benjamin Stark    age 39

Virginia 'Pepper' Stark  age 71

and the final name, recently etched;

Anthony Edward Stark  age 76

 

Steve pulls up outside of Tony's San Junipero house.  He honks the horn, twice.  Slowly, walks out Tony, wearing some fashionable sunglasses.  Tony runs down the steps and leaps into the car, and brings his lips to Steve's.

                                       _"When I'm lost at sea_

_I hear your voice_

_And it carries me"_

The two men roar along the freeway at speed, kissing and making "lovey-dovey'" eyes at each other.

                                     _"In this world we're just beginning_

_To understand the miracle of living"_

 

The entrance to the tech company 'Shield' is highly secured.  The campus is in Silicon Valley with a huge sign reading SHLD Systems.

                                      _"Baby I was afraid before_

_But I'm not afraid, Anymore!"_

The servers are each labeled San Junipero and assigned a number... San Junipero server1, San Junipero server2... and so on

                                      _"Ooh Baby do you know what that's worth?_

_Ooh Heaven is a place on Earth"_

The LEDS are winking and blinking like crazy on he servers.

 

Tony and Steve are on the dance floor, in 80's attire, but Steve is no longer wearing glasses, and they both have gold bands on their ring fingers.  They laugh and embrace each other on the dance floor.

                                      _"They say in heaven, love comes first_

_We'll make heaven a place on earth."_

 

A pair of LEDs flicker immensely, labeled San Junipero Server3 0012-TonySt@rk and San Junipero Server3 0011-Steve R0g3rs.

                                   _"Ooh Heaven is a place on Earth."_


End file.
